Montenegro’s Civic Movement URA (GP URA) has submitted a bill to parliament proposing a 120-euro monthly increase for all pensions, vice-president Miloš Konatar said. The bill would set a minimum pension of at least 600 euros, equal to two-thirds of the minimum wage, and require adjustments four times a year.
The proposal seeks permanent increases, while the government included one-off pensioner assistance in its budget rebalancing. Konatar asked what pensioners would do next month, after spending the aid, when their bills arrive again.
“Pensioners do not need help from today to tomorrow, but permanently higher pensions they can live on with dignity,” he said. He described it as unacceptable for pensioners to wait for the government to recognise their needs and provide one-off support.
URA had previously proposed raising pensions by 40 euros and said the money was available in this year’s budget. The parliamentary majority rejected that proposal, Konatar said.
He also contrasted plans for permanently higher wages next year with the one-off assistance offered to pensioners. If the government can plan funds for lasting wage increases, it must find a way to provide lasting pension increases too, he said, urging the government and parliamentary majority to support the bill.
Konatar said GP URA would not drop its demand for permanent increases, arguing that people who had worked for decades and helped build the country should not be left aside.
